JUGGLING

P-E-L-E

Two or more players needed. The first player juggles one, the second player has to match. The first player then juggles two and the second player has to match again. The first player then juggles three and so on. When a player misses, the other player gets a letter – first P, then E, then L, then E. After awarding a letter, the players start out at one again. The first player to spell PELE is the winner. This game can be played with thighs only, feet only, head only or any combination.

Blackjack (21)

Play with two or more players. The first player juggles as many touches as they can and keeps track of the count. The second player begins after the first player misses. After the second player misses, the first player starts again, starting the count where they misses in their first turn. For example, if a player got five touches before missing in their first turn, they would begin the second turn at six. The first player to 21 wins. This game also can be made more challenging be restricting it to certain body parts.

Combinations

Work to get “called” combinations. For example, “Around the World” would be left foot, left thigh, head, right thigh, right foot.

Juggling With Movement

Start at one spot and walk, jog or run while juggling the ball. See how far you can go without dropping the ball. One variation of this is to start at the outside of the penalty area on the field, juggle up to the goal area and shoot or volley the ball into the net without letting it hit the ground.

Timed Juggles

See how many touches the player can get in a certain amount of time. We do a three minute timed contest. They don’t have to be consecutive without a miss. This works great for getting the players focused and working hard for a certain period of time is great for aerobic fitness.

Team Juggling Contest

Have each player juggle and see how many touches they can get. Add the total touches for the whole team and create a team record. If they beat their team record, the coaches run a lap around the field. If they don’t beat their record, the players run a lap around the field. When the players are not very good jugglers, it doesn’t take very long. I have seen huge improvements in my team’s juggling skills by doing nothing more than this in practice. It’s just enough focus to get them working on their own.